Till Death Do Us Part

5

Over the next few days Meredith started to try and make small changes at home to help with her conditions some she already did not realising why they where helping but knowing they did as well as adding extra changes to help elevate issues.

Now Meredith had a diagnosis and medication and appointments with different specialist she knew what would trigger her symptoms so could try to avoid them.

"Meredith what's for dinner!" Derek demanded from the lounge,

"Spaghetti bolognaise." Meredith replied, "it should be ready in a few minutes, can you come set the table?" Meredith called back hoping Derek was having a better day and would actually help her,

"Ugh let me guess you want me to set the table so you can stay seated on that stupid stool," Derek groaned entering the kitchen, "see you are your sitting on the stool again, it's just lazy every other person can stand while the cool why are you sitting." He asked shaking his head

"Derek, I told you it's because of EDS it help take some pressure off my joints especially my knees as they tend to hyperextend when I stand, plus it also lowers the chance of my PoTS acting up," Meredith replied,

"It's just excuses for being lazy, you can stand when your at work in surgery," Derek replied grabbing two plates out of the cupboard,

"That's because I have too it's my job but because I do that then it's even more important to rest when I'm at home." She replied, "just leave the plates here I'll dish it up then we can eat at the table."

"Let me guess you'll want me to carry the plates to the table?" Derek smirked

"If possibly yes," Meredith replied grabbing one of the plates and starting to serve up dinner.

"Uh.. I need a drink," Derek sighed, "I'm going to get a beer, don't worry I'll be back to carry the plates so you don't hurt your precious wrists." Derek mocked, leaving the room.

Meredith sighed before grabbing the salt lightly seasoning one serving and coating the other. She'd found one of the most effective ways to help her PoTS was just a high intake of salt. It was monitored and she recorded roughly how much she ate so it didn't become dangerous but it was really helping to reduce her dizziness.

Suddenly the oven timer went off, reminding her of the garlic bread in the oven, quickly turning around she suddenly fell a wave of dizziness wash over her, she paused for a moment resting her weight on the stool she'd just stood up from, despite knowing her body she still often forgot to move in ways that wouldn't set of her symptoms. It didn't take long though for her to recover grabbing the garlic bread and putting it on the plate.
As she turned around looking at the plates she couldn't remember which one has the extra salt, crap.
Just then derek returned grabbing both plates
"Can you manage to carry the garlic bread?" He mocked, starting to walk towards the table
"Yes um... Derek" she started to speak, she still hadn't figured out which one had the extra salt.
"What!!" Derek snapped looking at her, "I just want dinner cant it wait."
"I um.." she stuttered,
"Whatever sit down, I'm hungry." He said snatching the garlic bread from her,
She sat down hopping the meal in front of her was the right one,
She was quickly proven wrong as Derek took her first bite his face changing, before he spat the spaghetti out landing in the middle of the table
"What are you trying to poison me!" He screamed
"I'm sorry that's mine I couldn't remember which one had extra salt." She said trying to reach for it, but Derek swatted her hand away.
"I'm so sick of all these excuses ever since you got those 'diagnosis'" he yelled air quoting, "you make everything more complicated, then you try to poison me with salt!" He screamed
"Derek I promise I didn't mean too, look this one in front of me I normal, I for distracted but the oven then I stood up to quickly so I got dizzy then by the time I'd turned around I couldn't remember which one had the extra salt, I put extra salt on mine to help with my PoTS I really didn't mean to I just got distracted," she tried to explain
"Excuses, excuses I don't want to hear them." Derek yelled, "it's always I can't do that or I can't do this, or I have to do this a special way so I don't hurt my joints, or I need extra salt so I don't faint, or I need the house a certain temperature or my clothes a certain texture it's all excuses! You know everybody is tired when they get home they want to just sit down but we don't we stand to cook and clean we take stuff upstairs when we need to, we don't make excuses, it's ridiculous, and all because you go those stupid diagnosis, it's ridiculous. You're making half this stuff up, you're just lazy and a hypochondriac. Who managed to get a doctor to diagnosis you something so you can be lazy." Derek screamed
Meredith just sat there her eyes filling with tears, she didn't know how to respond,
"Derek I'm not making this up, I'm in pain, most of if not all the time, I know you want to relax when you get home too but you do and you can, Derek I'm in pain everything hurts." She yells back crying, "and it's not just since my diagnosis before that I still had the issues I just didn't say anything because I knew you wouldn't understand, I'm always in pain and these accomodations help but I'm still in pain, and I feel dizzy all the time." Meredith tries to explain,
"But you do it at work just fine you stand and move and do all of that no issues your exaggerating it's not actually that bad you just want sympathy, you just want people to feel sorry for you, or me specifically, you want me to feel sorry for you, so you can be lazy and I'll do everything." He yelled
"No it's not, I get by at work because I have to I said that earlier, but I can make accommodations at home I can sit to reduce to strain on my joints and I can have extra salt to help me PoTS and I can wear soft clothing so it doesn't irritate my skin," She tried to explain, half crying half yelling
"They are just excuses, all of it, you had to go and get those diagnosis just to make my life more difficult if you've always been in pain why bother," he yelled back smirking
"Because a diagnosis means I can get help it means I have answers, I've always dealt with everything on my own now I can access help," She screamed
"Help you don't need you're just lazy." He yelled back.
"I just Derek why can't you understand I'm in pain," she cried falling into the seat,
"Oh stop with the water works will you," he sighed, "your hysterical for no reason, no wonder that doctor gave you fake diagnosis, she didn't want to deal with this the reality that your just lazy." He yelled
Meredith couldn't take it anymore she had to get away from Derek. She couldn't believe Derek was being so close minded he was a doctor, how could he not understand,
She ran out the door grabbing the keys and a jacket she didn't know where she was going only that she needed a break from Derek.
As she pulled on the jacket and started the car her mind was racing, as she drove the heat from the car blared at her, she fumbled with the nob trying to turn it down, Derek must have been in the car last. It was only about half way into the drive when she realised where she was driving, the hospital. It felt like the only place to go she didn't know where else would be appropriate, she didn't know where the other interns lived except Cristina but she lived with Burke so she couldn't go there, as she felt herself start to sweat from the temperature on the car only then did she become aware of the scratchy material of the jacket she was wearing,
"Crap!" She said aloud to herself realising she's grabbed one of the woollen jackets, she never wore wool without an undershirt it irritated her skin to much. She couldn't get it off while driving but she didn't want to stop,
Once she'd reached the hospital she ran inside falling into the first on call room she could find, crying as she removed the jacket her arms red underneath, she lays down on the mattress trying to hold in her tears as her inflamed skin comes into contact with the rough cheap material of the hospital sheets, she can feel her jeans digging into her waist, she quickly pulls them off ignoring the itching on her legs from the sudden contact with the air.

The stark contrast between the heat her body was emitting and the cold temperature of the room was too much as she felt the tears break free, she lay there still trying not to move to irritate her irritated skin any more. The words Derek screamed circling in her head, she wasn't faking she wasn't lazy she knew that yet the thought of him screaming at her had her sobbing,
As she lay there she suddenly heard the door handle start to move, her mind began to spin switching between her need to cover her exposed legs and her need to reduce the contact between herself and the rough sheets.

Authors Note

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. A bit of a longer one to make up for the break,

Who do you reckon is entering the on call room.

Please leave comments and ideas and tell me what you thought of the chapter.